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Falling foliage can leave SEPTA regional trains behind schedule

When the trees shed their leaves, SEPTA’s Heather Redfern said, those left on the track can make train wheels slip and slow down.

“When the vehicles run over the leaves, it creates an oily residue,” she said. “So we have a machine that blasts the leaves out of the track area, and on all of the rails we use a mixture of gel, water and sand to get rid of the deposits that are left behind.”

Despite all that effort, leaf delays happen every fall.

“We can have delays up to 15 minutes, 20 minutes depending on how many leaves come down and how it looks that day,” she said.

The PATCO train line, which connects South Jersey to Philadephia, adopts a special schedule for slippery rails season.